With first place in the Big West on the line, a Larry Anderson shot caromed off the rim as the 49ers desperately held onto a four-point lead with two minutes remaining. The ball hung in the air for what seemed like hours until Long Beach center Andrew Fleming outmuscled Matador Tremaine Townsend – one of the conference’s best rebounders – to snatch the ball out of the air and lay it in, giving the 49ers a six-point lead.
It was all Long Beach would need, as they (uncharacteristically) hit their free throws down the stretch and escaped the Pyramid with a 74-68 victory to remain in first place in the Big West. At 5-0, the 49ers hold at least a two-game lead over every other team in the conference.
Senior Donovan Morris scored 15 points in the first half to finish with a team-high 22 and also led the Beach with seven rebounds. Forward T.J. Robinson played inspired defense against Townsend under the boards and added seven rebounds of his own, while fellow freshman Casper Ware scored ten and dished out seven assists.
But it was the seldom-used Fleming’s bucket that sealed the victory.
“I saw it coming off the rim and I just grabbed it,” said Fleming, who also had two blocks. “I got it and I was going to just kick it back out, but then I saw that there was nobody really around me and I was kind of hesitant, like, ‘What should I do? Well, I’ll just try to go put it back. Might as well.'”
“Every game, it’s been a different guy that’s stepped up,” said head coach Dan Monson. “I told [Fleming] after the game, ‘I’m happiest for the team and I’m second-happiest for you.’ Because he’s worked hard and he made the plays tonight.”
Townsend nabbed 16 boards as the Matadors beat up the 49ers down low, outrebounding Long Beach 43-35 and grabbing 20 offensive boards. Northridge, however, shot just 35.8% from the field and 50% from the free-throw line. Long Beach shot 50% from the field and a surprisingly competent 76.9% from the line.
The 49ers took a 40-32 lead into halftime after shooting 55% from the field, but the Matadors tightened up their defense in the second half, pressuring Long Beach’s guards and keeping the 49er offense on the perimeter. Northridge took a one-point lead with 7:00 to go, but Long Beach regained it right back and would not lose it again.
The win puts the 49ers two games ahead of everyone else in the conference standings, but Monson made it clear that being undefeated does not mean his team is in control.
“If we’re going to contend in this league, it goes through Northridge,” he said. “I don’t think by any means that we’re in any driver’s seat. We’ve had more home games than anybody else right now. As I tell our guys, championships are won on the road, and all we did was prevent them from getting a road win. That’s how I look at it, more than us winning a home game.”
Even without their leading scorer – suspended indefinitely – the Matadors showed the talent and ability that drove coaches and writers to select them as preseason conference favorites. Switching to pressure 1-2-2 and 2-3 zones early in the second half threw the 49ers off-balance and cut off opportunities for penetration. Northridge took advantage and began chipping away at the Long Beach lead.
But after going up by one, the Matadors would score just three points in the next five minutes.
“We relied on our defense for the first time all season,” said Monson. “We set our defense, we got back – we did a lot of good things even though we lost our lead.”
The 49ers will enjoy a week off before hosting UC Riverside next Saturday the 24th, at 7:05pm.
